


The Vampire's Guard

by Knighthawke90



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Dawnguard, Dragonborn (Elder Scrolls), Elder Scrolls Lore, F/F, Falling In Love, Gen, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Multi, Other, Relationship(s), Skyrim - Freeform, The Companions - Freeform, Unrequited Love, Vampires, Werewolves, skyrim dlc, skyrim quest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 08:14:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9313103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knighthawke90/pseuds/Knighthawke90
Summary: A brokenhearted Dragonborn, Ava, leaves for Riften to return to the thieves guild to get her mind off of someone back in Whiterun. Along the way, she learns of a vampire hunting group known as The Dawnguard. When they ask her to join, the werewolf companion jumps at the opportunity. Ava and her companion Uthgerd are sent to verify a recent rise in vampire activity in the area to uncover what they are planning. This leads her to uncover someone completely unexpected...and sends them on the quest of a lifetime - as if slaying dragons and saving the world wasn't big enough already!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So while replaying Dawnguard I once again fell absolutely in love with the story, especially the dialogue between the Dragonborn and Serana. In my opinion I found they had one of the best interactions and potential love story in the game. In some instances I'll stick to the original game dialogue/story and/or scenes, and at others add my own creative version! Hope you enjoy! :D

Ava stretched her arms and felt the leather from her thieves guild armour stick on her skin. The sun had been beating down on them for quite some time. She pulled a handkerchief from her side pocket and wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Remind me next time to wear something that breathes when we travel near Riften!” Ava said while readjusting the sheath that contained her gorgeous black Ebony greatsword.

Her companion, Uthgerd, chuckled. “I did, but you didn’t listen. You said you wanted to be well equipped in case something came up. Might I add, it’s been quiet this time around.”

Ava sighed and was envious of her companion as she boasted sparkling steel armour and yet showed no signs of exhaustion. They had been travelling for at least 15 days from what Ava could recall. She had been on an assignment for Vex and was returning with her haul to provide to the guild.

Up ahead, the travellers could make out the tall stone structures that indicated they were close to Riften. That, and the smell that emerged from the sewers that turned around the city. For such a prosperous large town, it had it’s fair share of problems with the poor and beggars. As they neared towards the city, the heavy sound of a sword clashing against something caught the Dragonborn’s attention. She looked at Uthgerd who shared her same regard, both quickly pulling out their weapons ready for a fight. They hastened their pace keeping their guard up while trying to find where all the noise was coming from, until they spotted two people up ahead. Ava lifted her sword battle ready, and made an effort sprint while trying to understand who was the enemy.

“For the Dawnguard!” A deep voice roared as his battleaxe attempted to strike the other. It jumped out of the way causing the battleaxe to fiercely strike the ground, getting stuck. Ava and Uthgerd neared just in time to surround the other.

Ava looked at it and realized under its black cloak were brazen red eyes and the palest skin she had ever seen. She looked to the man trying to pull out his battleaxe. “Need some help?” she said, understanding the code that some warriors don’t like others interfering in their kills.

“Be my guest,” he said under his breath still trying to pull out his weapon.

The vampire snarled and hissed at the two warriors, it’s arms up with red sparks flying from it. Ava realized she had never seen a vampire up close before, though she had heard stories of their recent return in taverns which had been sparking new fear in townsfolk since the announcement that dragons were coming back to life.

Ava lifted her sword and lunged at the vampire, striking at it’s core, but it swiftly moved out of the way. It’s hands sparked a brighter red and two balls of energy formed and shot towards Ava. She dropped and rolled, missing the hit by seconds. Uthgerd ran towards the being and knocked it to the ground with the hilt of her sword and Ava quickly ran to it and dug her sword into it’s body. It snarled at her and hissed, “This will not be the end, mortal. Harkon will avenge!” It said smiling, before exploding in a pile of silver dust on the ground.

Ava placed her sword into the sheath on her back and walked over to the third warrior. By then he finally managed to have pulled his weapon from the ground. “Thank you,” he said, and Ava realized from his thick green skin and large jaw with protruding teeth that their fellow warrior was of Orc race. “Where you headed?” he asked.

“Riften,” Ava replied. “Just passing through.” She never mentioned her work with the thieves guild to strangers unless she found it to be necessary for a transaction of some sort. Though she found that those who knew as less about her interaction with the guild as possible never took her for a suspect when her jobs required for certain items to disappear.

The Orc looked at her and his eyes widened. “I know you,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “You’re who they call the Dragonborn.”

Ava nodded, having grown accustomed to being recognized lately. It happened at almost every town they went someone at some point would recognize her. Sometimes it paid off with free meals and warm, clean places to sleep. Those were with the good people. Sometimes, it had the opposite effect where assassins would try and kill them, lately having been attacked twice by the Dark Brotherhood..

“I’m sure you’ve got much on your plate right now, what with the dragons and all, but the Dawnguard would love to have someone like you on our side. Would slaying vampires be something that would interest you?”

“What is the Dawnguard?” Uthgerd asked, arms crossed.

“The Dawnguard is basically a group of hunters that kill vampires. There were barely any of us if I recall a year ago since centuries have passed with barely any sightings. At one point we were almost convinced we may have slain the last of those creatures. Lately though, vampire attacks have been turning up in full force. Now we're looking for anyone who would like to join. We know it's dangerous recruiting so openly like this, but that shows our desperation for fighters.”

“I don’t mind looking into this. Dragon attacks have been quiet lately and we don’t have much in ways of major things to do.” Ava looked at Uthgerd who nodded in agreement. Ava was happy that she could count on Uthgerd no matter what the circumstance. She loved a good fight better than anyone else Ava knew.

“That’s wonderful! Isran will be kicking himself that we got the Dragonborn to help us fight. When you get the chance head East of Riften. You’ll come by a canyon, just go around and there you should find a long path upwards. Keep going and you’ll come into view of the fort. You couldn’t have come at a better time, friend. I could owe you my life.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take you up on your offer and probably head out there tomorrow then. I look for, uh, you said Isran, right?”

The Orc nodded. “I’m heading there myself now. I’ll let him know to expect you two so you won’t be attacked on your way up. We’ve had to up the precautions since the frequent attacks.” The Orc turned to leave then stopped. “Watch yourself tonight Dragonborn. The sun is close to setting and they strike their fiercest in the darkest of the night.” He spoke over his shoulder, then continued on his way.

“This should be interesting,” Uthgerd said, smiling. “What do you think?”

Ava thought for a moment while nudging to her companion to keep going towards their initial destination. “It’s worth looking into. We haven't really come across any vampire issues, but we know how useful skeptics can be. Do you know what Harkon is?”

“I do not. I don’t recall that word coming up in any books I have read, though I can’t say I ever read too much into vampire lore. I figured they were old history and I don’t see the point in reading about an enemy that is dead and gone, forgive my pun,” Uthgerd mused. “It never seemed like information I would need to know for our time.”

“I wish we would have encountered this while we were still in Winterhold. At least then I could have gone to the library and verified this before going in blindly.”  


The two warriors made their way towards the town center. The sun was halfway set now, and the stone buildings of Riften made the town darker than it should have been by that hour. They headed towards the local Inn, the Bee and the Barb, for what they decided would best be an early evening so they can head for the Dawnguard fort in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

As planned, the two warriors were up with the sun, armour on and their individual preferred weapons fastened. Ava decided to hitch a smaller blade to her side instead of her greatsword and also her bow and a case full of steel arrows over her back. They made their way down the stairs of the Inn, the Innkeeper already awake and probably had been for a while. It was still dark out as the sun was rising, but Riften stayed true to it’s shadowy nature. They followed the instructions the Orc left for them and headed out of Riften in the Eastern direction until they found the path he mentioned.

The trek felt never ending, going uphill almost the entire way. About halfway up they were met with a fellow traveller who was sitting on a rock by the road. He seemed nervous, but lightened up when he saw them.

“Hey there! You’re here to join the Dawnguard?” He said cheerily. He was a thin man, not very tall, with blond hair and blue eyes. He seemed too pretty to be a hunter, Ava thought. She knew a force to be reckoned with when she saw it, and this young man looked like he would be killed in seconds.

“Were going to inquire about the Dawnguard, though not sure yet if joining is in our interest.” Ava replied, much less enthusiastic.

“The truth is, well, I’m a little nervous to head up there by myself. I know - not a great image for someone looking to hunt vampires - but I really am. I’m a fantastic marksman and can shoot an arrow furthest away from anyone in this town. Please don’t tell Isran I asked to walk up with you because I’m intimidated. I don’t want to make a bad first impression!” The young man half smiled nervously waiting for Ava to respond. Uthgerd growled in frustration and ignored him, keeping the pace up the path towards the fort. Ava shrugged and followed, with the young man close behind her.

“So what’s your name? I’m Agmaer! Pleased to make your acquaintance! What are you both doing in Riften? Are you from Skyrim?” His questions flowed one after the other while Ava hadn’t time to respond to any, neither was she in the mood to conversate. A sudden gasp from Agmaer caught Ava’s attention. She looked up and also was impressed. “That must be it!” He said aloud. “Fort Dawnguard. Wow. Bigger than I expected.” He said while swallowing hard.

Ava and Uthgerd stopped walking and looked up at the fort. The structure was indeed the biggest building they had ever seen up until now, and Ava had always been heavily overwhelmed when they visited Dragonsreach. 

“Where is everybody? This place looks almost deserted,” He observed. Ava looked around and agreed that for a fort this immense in nature and stature, aside from Agmaer, they hadn’t crossed anyone patrolling or watching guard. She suddenly got a tight feeling in her stomach and hoped they hadn’t been sent into an ambush of some kind. “Don’t worry, the Dawnguard is a real thing,” Agmaer said suddenly, noting the worry on Ava’s face, allowing her to relax.

They kept walking until they finally reached the steps leading up to the main gate and into the main entryway. There they found two men standing guard.

“Halt!” One guard said lifting his hand while the other drew his sword in defense. “What is your business here?”

“We're here to speak with Isran,” Ava spoke a few seconds later, after realizing her two comrades weren’t planning on saying anything. “We would like to know more about the Dawnguard.”

The guard turned and nodded at the second who sheathed his sword and pushed open the giant metal gate door. “Ah, new recruits. We’ve been expecting a new batch to come up soon. Welcome then. My name is Celann. Go on inside. Isran should be in the main hall speaking with someone. If he is occupied just have a seat and he should be with you when he is done.” The guard lifted his hand to his chest and said loudly, “For the Dawnguard!” in military fashion.

Ava smiled and thanked the guards awkwardly, not particularly a patriarch herself. They hurriedly walked passed the guard making their way up the large stone steps. The gates closed behind them causing a reverberating sound to echo up the staircase. They neared the main entrance, whose two gigantic steel doors were wide open. The main building was circular and taller than the rest of the structure. They made their way inside to find two men in the center, discussing something that looked to Ava like a heated argument.

“Isran, Carcette is dead. The Hall of the Vigilants...everyone...they're all dead. You were right, we were wrong. Isn't that enough for you?” One of the men pleaded with desperation in his voice. The other, the one the warriors were intended to meet, stood straight with his arms firmly crossed on his chest.

“And now you all want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it? I remember Keeper Carcette telling me repeatedly that Fort Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and manpower to repair. And now that you've stirred up the vampires against you, you come begging for my protection?” He sighed. “I never wanted any of this to happen. I tried to warn all of you... I am sorry, you know. But the Vigilants and I were finished with each other a long time ago.”

Isran turned his head and noted the presence of the three individuals. “Who are you? What do you want?” He snapped at them.

“We’re here to inquire about joining the Dawnguard,” Ava spoke. “Though if this is a bad time, we can come back later.”

Isran shook his head. “It’s never a bad time for new recruits,” he shot a look of disdain at the man standing before him. “We’re done here.” The man shook his head in despair and turned to leave. As he passed, Ava could swear she saw tears wetting his reddened face, so she tried to make a mental note to find him in the village later to see if she could help.

“So,” Isran walked towards the new recruits, arms still crossed, “Got a fire in your belly to kill vampires, eh? Good for you. But look around -- there's really not much to join yet. I've only just started rebuilding the order. I'm glad word's finally starting to get around. But that means it won't be long before the vampires start to take notice as well. Did you have a hard time getting up here?”

“No, it wasn’t difficult.” Ava responded and the other two also shook their head in unison.

“Why do I even post guards?” He growled angrily. He took in a deep breath and tried to calm down, not wanting to appear in this way in front of his possible new recruits. They needed all the help they could get. “This is the headquarters of the Dawnguard.” He lifted his arms and turned showing the encampment. “Well, it used to be, a long time ago. As you can see, we have some work to do to restore it to its former glory. But maybe you want to help me with that? I have to muscle whether you are made for this. Enough people are dying, I can’t afford to have incapable hunters getting themselves or others killed.”

“Of course. What can we do to help?” Uthgerd asked.

“I need someone out in the field, taking the fight to those fucking blood-sucking-demon-vampires, while we're getting the fort back in shape. The man I was speaking with earlier, Tolan, was telling me about some cave that the Vigilants were poking around in. He seemed to think it was more related to these recent sudden vampire attacks.”

“Who are the Vigilants?” Ava asked.

“I’m glad you asked,” a voice from behind made them all turn. The man, Tolan, hadn’t left after all. He walked back in with a different look in his eyes this time - determination. “As much as I would love to give you a history lesson, we simply do not have the time. You must go to Dimhollow Crypt. One of our brothers was sure it held some long-lost vampire artifact of some kind. We didn't listen to him any more than we did Isran. He was at the Hall when it was attacked…” His voice softened. “I can meet you there. I have a few things to take care of.” Tolan left them in a hurry.

Isran sighed. “Very well then, that’s good enough for me. You two, there isn’t much yet, but feel free to look around the fort and take anything you think you’ll need. You there,” he pointed to Agmaer. “I hear you’re decent with a bow. How do you feel about crossbows?”

“I can definitely give it a go.” Agmaer stood so straight Ava was sure one swift kick could crack him in half. He was slightly trembling, and she hoped for him Isran wouldn’t notice.

“Good. They are the best for killing vampires but harder to maneuver than bows. Boy, go grab one off that crate over there and head out back and shoot a few rounds at our dummies. Now for you two, I suggest you get going. I have a good feeling about you, and I hope I’m not wrong.”

Ava nodded and motioned to Uthgerd they had better get going as well.


	3. Chapter 3

The air cooled significantly as the gravel path quickly shifted to a slippery snow covered trek that Ava and Uthgerd attentively tried not to slip and fall over. Ava looked back and saw they had walked quite a distance upwards since everything had significantly shrunk behind them. Her leather attire that had clung to her hot skin the day before now chilled her at the touch, though she appreciated that it kept them alert.

Light snow had begun to fall from the sky slightly blurring their vision ahead. Thankfully, with her keener sense of wolf sight Ava could see past the flurries and make out the stone steps leading to the start of the cave indicating they were getting close. They ducked behind some nearby bushes and scoped the situation before nearing the entrance to ensure they wouldn’t be ambushed from behind. Ava greatly appreciated one of her werewolf perks of sniffing out enemies that thought they could sneak up and attack them. However she quickly learned vampires were not as simple to weave out since technically they were dead so she could not smell them. But she could smell the blood coming from within the cave. There was a lot of blood.

Her ears perked and tickled as she could make out two voices, but they were too far to understand what they were saying.

“We’ve got to get a little closer,” she whispered to Uthgerd. “I can hear people inside.”

“I don’t see anywhere we can hide out any closer than this without the risk of being detected.”

Ava thought for a moment. She looked around and noted Uthgerd was right. If they left the bushes it was to head inside. At least the snow would muffle the sound of their boots on the ground.

“How do you want to do this?” Uthgerd asked while readying her bow.

Ava smelled someone familiar and turned quickly to find Tolan quietly making his way up the path as well. Ava hurried to get closer to him and grabbed him pulling him into the bushes with them.

“You made it,” he said happily. “What is the plan then?”

“We’ve been here a little while and haven’t noticed anyone going in or out, which is both bad and good. We assume they’re all inside the cave, though we don’t know how many vampires we are dealing with.”

“It’s also very plausible it won’t be just vampires. They are able to enthrall humans to do their bidding, therefore there could be innocent victims.”

“As much as I hate treating humans as casualties we may not have a choice. Prepare for all situations,” Ava said. “If they attack you, you attack back. I don’t want any of us three dying or getting wounded in there.” The two nodded and Ava turned back towards the cave. She took a deep breath and continued forward while still remaining slightly crouched, heading up the five stone steps leading towards the entrance. As Ava kept watching forward and Uthgerd surveyed behind them, Ava was able to make out two voices near the entrance. She was pleased to see the opening of the cave didn’t lead right to trouble.

The cave stepped onto a platform with uneven man-made wooden stairs turning towards the right that lead down to a grander, circular area of the cave. She crouched lower and stepped onto the platform, careful not to make any noise to bring attention to herself, as she motioned for the other two to come forward. Up until now she was sure they hadn’t been noticed.

“These Vigilants never know when to give up. I thought we'd taught them enough of a lesson at their hall.” One raspy voice spoke.

“To come in here alone...fools like all the rest of them.” The second said.

“They fought well enough though. Jeron and Bresoth were no match for them.”

“Ha. Those two deserved what they got. Their arrogance had become insufferable. I wish Lokil would hurry it up. I have half a mind to return to the castle and tell Harkon what a hot-headed fool he's entrusted this mission to.”

Ava gave a side glance at Tolan, whom she saw was agitated in anger. On the other hand, she was pleased to uncover one mystery to this mission: Harkon was a someone and not a some place or a something.

“All this talk is making me thirsty. Perhaps another human fool will wander in soon or we're going to have to hunt.” The raspier voice continued.

Ava pulled her bow and readied it with an arrow motioning to Uthgerd she would take one and Uthgerd would take the second. They aimed the top of the arrow at the vampires’ chests and aimed, pulled back the string, and let the arrow fly rapidly through the air. Ava was sure if the vampires were conscious of the attack, they would have been able to dodge the arrows, but thankfully they were distracted, and were hit before they ever knew what happened. In seconds, they were a pile of silver dust on the floor.

The three hurried down the wooden stairs trying not to make them creak, to find two dead bodies lying between the dust. Tolan knelt down and touched their arms. He took in a deep breath and lowered his head, mumbling beneath his breath.

“They’ve been...drained. They were good men,” his voice shook a little.

“What do the Vigilants want with the vampires?” Ava asked.

“It’s complicated, dear one. We don’t have time to discuss this now. I know three came here disregarding my warning to wait, however there are only two bodies. I fear the worst for the third and what they could be doing.” Tolan stood up and looked around the cave, then pointing to a larger clearing leading into a tunnel. “There, that’s where we had been instructed to look.”

They continued through the tunnel, which circled left, and opened into an enormous chamber. There was water all around them, except where thin paths lead to a monument in the middle of the room, that was surrounded by purple sparkling light, most likely a magic made protective force shield. Standing by the force field were three others, two vampires, and a man beaten and bloody on the ground. His arm was up defending himself, while the other two towered over him.

“Adalvald!” Tolan said wide-eyed. “We must help him!” He grabbed onto Ava’s arm and she nodded, quickly surveying the best course of action to take.

“I'll never tell you anything, fiend! My oath to Stendarr is stronger than any suffering you can inflict on me,” The defeated man on the ground said stammering.

The taller vampire, the one most likely to be Lokil, scoffed at the man. “I believe you, Vigilant. Truly, I don’t even think you lot even realize what you have stumbled on in here. And rest assured, I will see to it that you never will. Do not fret, for you shall go and meet your beloved Stendarr.”

“We can’t just kill him now, Lokil! Harkon will be most displeased if we return with no information. We have not exactly understood either how to unlock this -”

“He knows nothing. He served his purpose by leading us to this place. It is up to us to bring Harkon the prize and we will not return without it.” Lokil turned his attention back towards the man on the ground. His eyes shone a bright red and he smiled, revealing two sharp fangs that glimmered against the purple light. “Now, what to do with you...” He began to lower himself and picked up the man by the neck of his cloak.

“He will drain him! Please! Do something!” Tolan urged and Ava knew it was time to attack.

Ava pulled her bow and arrow, aimed and fired at Lokil. It flew right between him and the man he was about to drain. He dropped the man to the floor and turned his attention to the two warriors and Tolan.

“Ohh, we have company,” he smirked. “Another foolish Vigilant and some swords for hire. Maybe this one will bring us better luck with information.” Lokil growled and lifted his hands, red orbs beginning to form and spark.

“You’re little torture meeting is done here!” Ava said loudly.

“We shall see about that!” Lokil yelled as he shot two red, fiery orbs at Ava. She ducked and rolled, barely missing getting hit by one of the two. The other vampire had opted to attack Uthgerd, Ava knowing she wouldn’t have to worry, that vampire wouldn’t stand a chance. She threw her bow to the ground and opted for a more personal combat: her greatsword. She slid it from its sheath and readied herself. The vampire smirked at her as he readied and powered up for another attack. She ran towards him and lunged, he moved out of the way, but she successfully hit his arm, blood spewing from it. He cringed in pain, but then began to laugh, as the wound quickly healed itself.

Ava’s eyes widened as she had never battled a vampire before. Being a werewolf, if she was injured, she would go to sleep and wake up the next day fully healed, but she never saw anything heal itself almost instantly without the use of magic. This would be harder than she anticipated as she had hoped the wound would slow her adversary.

“You must cut off its head or stab it through the heart to destroy it!” Tolan shouted at Ava and Uthgerd.

“Thanks for the tip!” Uthgerd yelled, punching the other vampire in the face, knocking him down, grabbing an arrow and jamming into the vampire’s chest.

“Shut up you Vigilant fuck!” Yelled Lokil, shooting a red orb straight at Tolan, whose reflexes were not as developed as Ava and Uthgerd. He was hit instantly, his body collapsing and convulsing before finally falling still.

The Dragonborn’s eyes turned a bright emerald, her body tensed and she unleashed a shout in pure anger, so powerfully charged that it sent the vampire Lokil into the air backwards and slammed him onto the cave wall. She then ran towards the vampire and flung her greatsword into the air until it struck his neck and sliced a clean way across. He turned into dust instantly.

Ave stood in position, her breath coming in short, deep gasps, her sword still lingering where the vampire’s body had been seconds before. Uthgerd ran up to her and placed her hand on her shoulder, making the Dragonborn jolt. She looked over at Tolan and sighed regretfully.

“What a waste. I can’t believe I let that happen,” Ava said sadly.

“It’s not your fault. He came knowing it could be dangerous. We have to figure out what was so important about this place that the vampires and Vigilants were so interested in.”

Ava shrugged and sheathed her greatsword. “We can start with this,” she pointed to the monument in the center of the cave. “What is this? I don’t think the Dawnguard knows about this.”

Uthgerd raised a hand to her chin and thought. “I have no idea. I’ve never read anything similar to this. There’s got to be a trigger somewhere to stop the magical field. I’m going to take a look around. The way these braziers are placed looks like a puzzle to me.”

Ava walked closer to the force field and noticed Uthgerd was right about the braziers. They were not directly touched by the force field, however they looked like they were on a track and could be shifted back and forth. They spread along the monument in a circular form. Ava moved to the one closest to her and examined the brazier, noticing at the bottom was a pedestal, almost completely camouflaged to the pillar. 

She put her foot on it and heard a click sound, and suddenly the brazier moved forward and stopped at the touch of the magical field, causing the light to spread to the next brazier. She moved quickly to the second and did the same, the second brazier shooting a purple light that connected to the other she had moved and to the next. She continued doing this until all the braziers had been unlocked, and suddenly a purple light engulfed all around them, shining brightly for a few seconds that they had to shield their eyes.

The light suddenly vanished along with the forcefield. In the center of the monument rose a crypt. Ava walked over to the crypt and noticed strange word engravings all around the front of the door. She put her hand on the engravings and felt out the words, saying them out loud in a foreign language she did not understand. A loud screech emerged from the crypt as the door unhinged and magically moved to the side, opening what looked like...a coffin. Ava held her breath as Uthgerd came to her side as the door fully slid open. To their shock, the last thing they expected lay silently in an upright position.

A perfectly intact young woman.


	4. Chapter 4

Ava and Uthgerd looked at each other in complete disbelief and then back at the young woman. She lay so still, not breathing, eyes closed, Ava was positive she was dead, but how could she still look so...fresh?

Ava lifted her arm and moved a little closer to the crypt in an attempt to touch the woman and see what the situation was. As her fingers gently touched the woman’s cold skin, her eyes burst open and confusion struck her face when she looked at Ava and Uthgerd. She motioned to move, but fell forwards, Ava catching her in her arms just at the right moment.

“Wh-wh-what’s happening?” she asked in a faint voice. Ava set her down on the ground gently, crouching in front of her. “Who are you? Who sent you?” She said with apparent great effort.

“Who were you expecting?” Ava asked. The young woman remained quiet. “You look really weak. Do you know how long you’ve been locked in there?”

The young woman turned her head and found the open crypt. Her brow furrowed as she fervently tried to recollect her memories. She eventually shrugged. “I’m not sure. I can’t remember. I’m sorry. I’m just so...hungry.”

Ava realized then that this woman wasn’t exactly human - she was a vampire; and clearly what those other vampires were after. Ava noticed something attached to the woman’s back and gasped.

“Oh my Talos!” Ava said aloud, standing up quickly. “You have an Elder Scroll! How is that possible?”

The young woman looked up at her. “How do you know about the Elder Scrolls? Who are you? Who sent you here?” She said while grasping her stomach.

Ava sighed. “We can figure that out later. If we can find you something to, uh, eat, then will you answer some of my questions?” The woman nodded, and Ava looked to Uthgerd. “I don’t know if there is anything around here.”

“I can walk,” the woman said and stood up weakly. Ava moved close to her and then wrapped her arm around her helping to keep her up.

“Be careful! You’re putting your neck pretty close to her!” Uthgerd replied sharply.

The woman and Ava locked eyes. “You’re not my type. Sorry,” she smiled at Ava, who half smiled back. “Look, if you can bring back an animal that will be enough.”

Ava looked at Uthgerd. “Do you mind?” Uthgerd gave a nasty look at the vampire and reluctantly turned to leave to go hunt down an animal.

“How did you know?” The woman asked as they found a ledge to sit on while they waited.

“That you’re a vampire?” Ava replied. “I had some hints. Are you alright to answer some questions while we wait?” The woman nodded. “Were you expecting someone?”

“Someone like me, at least.”

“A vampire, you mean. Anyone in particular? Does the name Harkon sound familiar to you?”

The vampire’s face saddened. “Yes. He is my father and a very powerful vampire. I must admit, I would have expected he would have sent someone of my kind to find me.”

Ava hesitated for a moment before answering, “Well, I would like to say I believe he did. And if it’s the vampires that were here earlier, well, we killed them.” Ava expected the woman to be offended, angered by the destruction of her kind, but instead she sat pensively, the expression on her face unscathed.

“May I ask you a question now?” She asked, and Ava nodded that she could. “Why are you here? This location was chosen for the obvious reason that there is nothing here and no one could have known my whereabouts.”

“A group of vampire hunters known as the Dawnguard sent me here to investigate the sudden rise in vampire activity in this area. I was investigating what they found so interesting and important here to have almost wiped out an entire group known as the Vigilants. Something here was being sought out, and I am going to concur that was you.”

“Now that you have uncovered me, are you going to kill me?”

“The Dawnguard would want me to kill you.”

The woman remained silent.

“Why were you locked away like this?” Ava asked breaking the silence.

“That's...complicated. And I'm not totally sure if I can trust you considering you were hired to kill my kind. However, I appreciate your honesty and will go out on a limb that if your sole purpose was to kill me you would have done so by now. If you want to know the whole story, please help me get back to my family's home.”

Ava thought for a moment. “Where did you get an Elder Scroll?”

“It's...complicated. I can't really talk about it. I'm sorry.”

Ava sighed. “Where do you need me to bring you?”

“My family used to live on an island to the west of Solitude. I would guess they still do. By the way, before my manners give way, my name is Serana. It is good to meet you.” She lifted her hand in a manner to shake Ava’s. Ava reciprocated the gesture, and they shook in unison.

“My name is Ava. If it will help you to explain what is going on here then I will return you to your home.”

Serana smiled gladly, leaning back against the wall, taking a deep breath. “I wonder how long I have been in there. Can I ask who is Skyrim’s High King?”

“Well, that is actually a matter of debate at this point.”

Serana smirked to herself. “Oh, wonderful. A war of succession. Good to know the world didn't get boring while I was gone. Who are the contenders?”

“Some support Ulfric Stormcloak, while the Empire remains true to the Jarl of Solitude, Elisif saying she is the High Queen. Personally, I myself don’t quite follow politics.”

Serana wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something disgusting. “Empire? What...what empire?”

“The...Empire. From Cyrodiil.”

“Cyrodiil is the seat of an empire?” Serana became lost in thought and seemingly mumbled to herself, “I must have been gone longer than I thought. Definitely longer than we planned.” She suddenly sat up and took Ava’s hand in her own. “Please, let's hurry. I need to get home so I can figure out what's happened.”

At that moment Uthgerd returned with a small elk draped over her shoulder that she managed to knock unconscious. She dropped it on the ground and wiped herself off. “This good enough?”

“Thank you! I am in debt to your service,” Serana said and bowed. “May I ask some moments of privacy while I eat?”

Ava stood up and joined Uthgerd, turning to Serana before leaving, “We will wait outside. Don’t be long.”


End file.
